Abstract
The KERNEL NUMBER PER ROW6 (KNR6)-mediated phosphorylation of an adenosine diphosphate ribosylation factor (Arf) GTPase-activating protein (AGAP) forms a key regulatory module for the numbers of spikelets and kernels in the ear inflorescences of maize (Zea mays L.). However, the action mechanism of the KNR6–AGAP module remains poorly understood. Here, we characterized the AGAP-recruited complex and its roles in maize cellular physiology and agronomically important traits. AGAP and its two interacting Arf GTPase1 (ARF1) members preferentially localized to the Golgi apparatus. The loss-of-function AGAP mutant produced by CRISPR/Cas9 resulted in defective Golgi apparatus with thin and compact cisternae, together with delayed internalization and repressed vesicle agglomeration, leading to defective inflorescences and roots, and dwarfed plants with small leaves. The weak agap mutant was phenotypically similar to knr6, showing short ears with fewer kernels. AGAP interacted with KNR6, and a double mutant produced shorter inflorescence meristems and mature ears than the single agap and knr6 mutants. We hypothesized that the coordinated KNR6–AGAP–ARF1 complex modulates vegetative and reproductive traits by participating in vesicle trafficking in maize. Our findings provide a novel mechanistic insight into the regulation of inflorescence development, and ear length and kernel number, in maize.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
The loss-of-function AGAP mutant had a defective Golgi apparatus with thin and compact cisternae.
- Treatment
- loss-of-function AGAP mutant produced by CRISPR/Cas9e2
- Gene
- AGAPe2
- Outcome
- Golgi apparatuse2
- Direction
- defectivee2
- Qualifier
- with thin and compact cisternaee2
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ear inflorescences of maize (Zea mays L.)”
e2“The loss-of-function AGAP mutant produced by CRISPR/Cas9 resulted in defective Golgi apparatus with thin and compact cisternae, together with delayed internalization and repressed vesicle agglomeration, leading to defective inflorescences and roots, and dwarfed plants with small leaves”
Claim · model-written summary
The loss-of-function AGAP mutant had delayed internalization.
- Treatment
- loss-of-function AGAP mutant produced by CRISPR/Cas9e2
- Gene
- AGAPe2
- Outcome
- internalizatione2
- Direction
- delayede2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ear inflorescences of maize (Zea mays L.)”
e2“The loss-of-function AGAP mutant produced by CRISPR/Cas9 resulted in defective Golgi apparatus with thin and compact cisternae, together with delayed internalization and repressed vesicle agglomeration, leading to defective inflorescences and roots, and dwarfed plants with small leaves”
Claim · model-written summary
The loss-of-function AGAP mutant repressed vesicle agglomeration.
- Treatment
- loss-of-function AGAP mutant produced by CRISPR/Cas9e2
- Gene
- AGAPe2
- Outcome
- vesicle agglomeratione2
- Direction
- repressede2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ear inflorescences of maize (Zea mays L.)”
e2“The loss-of-function AGAP mutant produced by CRISPR/Cas9 resulted in defective Golgi apparatus with thin and compact cisternae, together with delayed internalization and repressed vesicle agglomeration, leading to defective inflorescences and roots, and dwarfed plants with small leaves”
Claim · model-written summary
The loss-of-function AGAP mutant had defective inflorescences and roots.
- Treatment
- loss-of-function AGAP mutant produced by CRISPR/Cas9e2
- Gene
- AGAPe2
- Outcome
- inflorescences and rootse2
- Direction
- defectivee2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ear inflorescences of maize (Zea mays L.)”
e2“The loss-of-function AGAP mutant produced by CRISPR/Cas9 resulted in defective Golgi apparatus with thin and compact cisternae, together with delayed internalization and repressed vesicle agglomeration, leading to defective inflorescences and roots, and dwarfed plants with small leaves”
Claim · model-written summary
The loss-of-function AGAP mutant produced dwarfed plants with small leaves.
- Treatment
- loss-of-function AGAP mutant produced by CRISPR/Cas9e2
- Gene
- AGAPe2
- Outcome
- plants with small leavese2
- Direction
- dwarfede2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ear inflorescences of maize (Zea mays L.)”
e2“The loss-of-function AGAP mutant produced by CRISPR/Cas9 resulted in defective Golgi apparatus with thin and compact cisternae, together with delayed internalization and repressed vesicle agglomeration, leading to defective inflorescences and roots, and dwarfed plants with small leaves”
Claim · model-written summary
AGAP was preferentially localized to the Golgi apparatus.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ear inflorescences of maize (Zea mays L.)”
e1“AGAP and its two interacting Arf GTPase1 (ARF1) members preferentially localized to the Golgi apparatus”
Claim · model-written summary
The weak agap mutant was phenotypically similar to knr6.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ear inflorescences of maize (Zea mays L.)”
e3“The weak agap mutant was phenotypically similar to knr6, showing short ears with fewer kernels”
Claim · model-written summary
The weak agap mutant had short ears.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ear inflorescences of maize (Zea mays L.)”
e3“The weak agap mutant was phenotypically similar to knr6, showing short ears with fewer kernels”
Claim · model-written summary
The weak agap mutant had fewer kernels.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ear inflorescences of maize (Zea mays L.)”
e3“The weak agap mutant was phenotypically similar to knr6, showing short ears with fewer kernels”
Claim · model-written summary
AGAP interacted with KNR6.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ear inflorescences of maize (Zea mays L.)”
e4“AGAP interacted with KNR6, and a double mutant produced shorter inflorescence meristems and mature ears than the single agap and knr6 mutants”
Claim · model-written summary
The agap knr6 double mutant had shorter inflorescence meristems and mature ears than the single mutants.
- Treatment
- double mutante4
- Outcome
- inflorescence meristems and mature earse4
- Direction
- shortere4
- Comparator
- single agap and knr6 mutantse4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ear inflorescences of maize (Zea mays L.)”
e4“AGAP interacted with KNR6, and a double mutant produced shorter inflorescence meristems and mature ears than the single agap and knr6 mutants”